Work on the first phase of the Magee / Cortaro Farms road
project could begin in late 2010 at the Magee / La Cholla
intersection, where Pima County plans to install "the one and only
jug handle in the county," Supervisor Ann Day told an open house
crowd at Pima College's Northwest Campus last Thursday.

The "jug handle" is a roadway design feature intended to flow
traffic through the now-disjointed Magee/La Cholla intersection. It
would serve as the pivot point for a 5-mile expansion of Magee and
Cortaro between Oracle Road and Thornydale from two to four lanes,
with medians, adjacent foot and bike paths, intersection work,
drainage improvements, landscaping, public art, a new bridge across
the Canada del Oro Wash and more.

Thursday's meeting was the third open house on the Magee /
Cortaro project. The entire project is "30 percent planned,"
according to project consultant Bill Schlesinger of the firm
AECOM.

Development of a preliminary design and environmental analyses
are nearing completion. Traffic and drainage reports are moving
forward. The environmental document, with a concept design and the
expected environmental impacts and needed mitigation, is completed,
and has been given to the eight-member citizens advisory committee.
A recommendation letter on that plan should go to the county board
of supervisors in September.

Environmental manager Mike Dawson of the consulting firm EcoPlan
held up the thick environmental plan for a large audience on a hot
night. He said it "may look more comprehensive than concise,"
though "much of it is appendices."

What does the document do? From an engineering perspective, "how
do you fix it?" Dawson explained. From an environmental
perspective, "what's the effect of those repairs?"

Pima County Department of Transportation has identified the
Magee corridor as a designated environmentally sensitive roadway.
But, for a five-mile project, this one is "more on the easy side,"
said Dawson. "The physical impacts on the ground are not nearly as
bad as many I've seen."

There are a number of drainages and washes on the project,
including the CDO crossing. "Each time we cross one of those, we
have multiple masters" needing answers, from the Pima County Flood
Control District to the Army Corps of Engineers, which must issue
permits, Dawson said.

Day was excited by the prospect of a bridge over the CDO wash.
"Imagine that," Day said. "I can't wait for that."

The nine-year supervisor has "heard every monsoon season from
many of you" about the wash. "It's very frustrating when you can't
cross the wash."

From the jug handle, the project would head east on Magee from
La Cholla to La Canada, where the Magee/La Canada intersection will
be built as part of the La Canada improvement project. From there,
the project would move toward Oracle.

"West of Mona Lisa, we're further down the road," Schlesinger
said. It may be 2015 before that work begins.

"When RTA was set up, that was the schedule that was approved,"
Schlesinger said. "We can't change that schedule."

"I'd like to say 'no.'" Ellis said. "But I can't predict the
future. Money is in place for the first phase."

Day looks forward to "much-needed drainage improvements." She
praised the work of the citizens advisory committee, and the input
of commuters, residents and the project team.

"It's impossible to please everyone," Day said. But, with
continued dialogue, "we'll have a beautiful, functional roadway we
can all be proud of."

Reports on the public art portion of the project were given
Thursday by planning artist Nina Borgia-Aberle.

"We get a lot of comments on public art work, good and bad, a
lot of times after the art work is done," Schlesinger said. "We'd
like to have those comments now."

From this point, public comments are accepted through July 23,
and reviewed. The environmental assessment and design concept
report would then be finalized. A hearing would be held before the
Pima County Supervisors in September.

Noise analyses of the Magee/Cortaro Farms roadway have
identified 22 locations that meet or exceed the 66-decibel federal
standard that triggers noise-reducing mitigation such as walls,
according to a consulting firm's environmental manager.

"If we don't build" the roadway, and traffic expands on the
two-lane road, "those 22 locations will also meet the 66 decibels,"
said Mike Dawson, of the consulting firm EcoPlan. "It makes no
difference, whether we don't build or we build."

Magee and Cortaro handle about 16,000 vehicles a day, about
"what a two-lane road can handle," Dawson said. "There are a number
of problems with the existing roads."

More than 32,000 vehicles a day are expected in 2030.

Factors in the decision to build noise-reducing walls include
cost – not more than $35,000 per "benefited receiver" — and the
need for mitigation to achieve at least a 5-decibel reduction in
noise. Walls are estimated to cost $25 per square foot to build.
Ideally, a noise reduction wall is continuous and "breaks the line
of sight."

"Single receivers don't normally quality for a wall," said
Dawson. On a number of properties, "the only way to protect them
from noise would be to block their access."

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Tucson Local Media photographer J.D. Fitzgerald, right, shoots a simulation gun in reaction to a situation during a training put on by the Pima County Sheriff’sDepartment. PCSD invited members of the media to their training center on South Rita Road to further their understanding of use of force protocols. Mediamembers were given a 90-minute lesson on the policies, ethics and laws regarding use of force. To read the full story and to watch the video, visit www.tucsonlocalmedia.com.